Portable shampoo system



11, 1970 P. E. SABELLA 3,523,306

PORTABLE SHAMPOO SYSTEM Filed Feb. 21. 1968 Z'I g4 HVVE/VTOH PATR/CKE SABELL United States Patent 3,523,306 PORTABLE SHAMPOO SYSTEM Patrick E. Sabella, 35 S. Washington St., Hinsdale, Ill. 60521 Filed Feb. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 707,234 Int. Cl. A45d 19/00, 19/04, 20/00 US. Cl. 4-159 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure describes a system for beauty parlors including in one embodiment a multiple utility system with spaced stations therealong having means for using the facilities in combination with one or more portable driers and Wash basins which simplifies the processes of shampooing, setting and drying a patrons hair. In one embodiment each station of the utility system includes a flexible drain tube, sources of hot and cold water, a water mixing valve and a flexible wash water conduit with a hand-operated, valve-controlled spray head. A portable wash or shampoo stand with a basin, convenient shelves and a drain outlet for attachment to and use with each of the spaced utility stations is provided. Other embodiments are disclosed including a quick-release drain union, and brackets to hold the wash water conduit both at the utility station and at the portable wash stand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In beauty parlor rooms there are normally a number of fixed booths wherein the separate processes of shampooing, setting and drying a patrons hair are accomplished. A patron must move from booth to booth in the processes of hair styling and problems arise in the movement of patrons about the room, eflicient use of the equipment and unavoidable delays in coordination of the processes. Also the shampooing equipment being fixed is often inadequate for peak customer loads and delays result. More often, there are waiting periods for the patron and in order to provide facilities sufficient to service a number of patrons, several of each type of booths are required.

A section of the room where the shampooing process takes place generally comprises a number of fixed sinks against a wall with movable chairs for each basin. If a tinting process is contemplated, the patron next moves to a drier which may be a fixed unit attached to the back of a fixed chair. Normally, the driers are positioned in a series or as groups in another part of the room. Following the drying, the patron must move again to a wash basin for completion of the tinting process. After shampooing and tinting, the patrons hair is set, which requires again that the patron move to another chair in the room. This chair is normally afiixed to the floor and mounted on a rotating base, with mirrors thereabout and related equipment designed for use in styling. Upon completion of the setting process, the patron must again move to a drier and during busy hours this step may involve a waiting period. Following the drying process, the patron finally moves to the booth where the styling process is completed. It is also the practice to sometimes prolong or fore-shorten the processes for one or more of the patrons in order to schedule their movements through the beauty parlor. This often leads to unsatisfactory results and customer complaints.

Ordinarily, in order to equitably control the beautify-- ing process the patrons are scheduled for treatment sequentially in the beauty parlor. On occasion, as in an emergency, one patron may be moved through in a short period of time which requires that one or more of the patrons must relinquish their time at the stations.

Existing beauty parlors accordingly comprise multiple shampooing stations, multiple setting stations and multiple drying stations through which a patron must move sequentially and visit at least the drying station twice in the process. This requires the installation of larger amounts of expensive equipment which may be idle during parts of the working day.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a system for beauty parlors which eliminates the necessity of employing and maintaining many fixtures and excessive plumbing installations, eliminates the need of separate rooms for shampoo procedures, eliminates the need for fixed chairs i.e., the use of spring-back chairs at each wash station, and eliminates the necessity for having the patron move from station to station. An object of this invention is to eflect savings in time, space and equipment necessary for a beauty parlor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention concerns a beauty parlor system having a multiple utility system with spaced stations along a side of the room for a drain, sources of hot and cold water, a mixing valve for the water, a valved spray head and flexible conduit for the wash water and a portable wash or shampoo stand for use at a station. More particularly, the system includes a drain conduit with a flexible inlet pipe at each station and means to hold the flexible pipe in an upright and convenient position. The drain inlet pipe is adapted to be readily attached to a portable basin at the station. A hot water pipe and a cold water pipe are provided with branch conduits leading to a mixing valve at each station. The mixing valve is preferably of the kind which produces and automatically maintains a wash water of the proper temperature and a flexible hose is connected to the outlet of the mixing valve to conduct the wash water to a desired position over the portable basin. This conduit has a spray head with a thumb valve to control the volume of wash water spray. The portable wash basin comprises a cabinet with means to roll same across the floor, shelves for the convenient storage of equipment and materials necessary for the shampooing and tinting processes and a wash basin. The wash basin has a fixed drain pipe, the end of which is adapted for quick attachment to and release from the flexible drain pipe at any selected station. A bracket is provided on the portable basin to temporarily hold the wash water spray head when the portable basin is in use. A wall bracket is also provided to maintain the flexible drain pipe in a convenient upright position at each station when not in use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A non-limiting embodiment of this invention is shown in the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a beauty parlor room showing the placement of three work stations therealong with a portable wash stand ready for movement to any station;

FIG. 2 is a view of a portable wash stand in cross section in position at a station with the drain connected and the wash water conduit in position for ready use;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the wash stand shown in FIGS. 1 and 2; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary partial-cross sectional view of the wash basin drain conduit with the flexible drain conduit in position for attachment.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a beauty parlor room 10 having a floor 12, end wall 14 and a side Wall 16 with the mirrors 18 therealong. Below the mirrors 18 there is a Work shelf held in horizontal position from the Wall 16. A drain pipe 22 is shown extending along the base of the wall 16, same being connected to the drainage system (not shown) of the building of which the room 10 comprises a part. The drain pipe 22 has a series of spaced branch conduits 24 extending therefrom and in communication with the drain pipe, each branch including a check valve in a conventional manner.

Each branch conduit 24 has a flexible drain conduit aflixed thereto and having an internal bore 32. The conduits 30 are preferably constructed of heavy walled plastic or rubber tubing. If desired an enlarged flat flange 34 can be provided at the end of each drain conduit 30. The external surfaces of the flanges 34 can be shaped or knurled to provide a hand grip.

A hot water pipe 36 and a cold water pipe 38 extend along the wall 16. The hot water pipe 36 has a series of branch lines 40 communicating therewith and extending upwardly to the mixing valves 42. The cold water pipe 38 has a series of branch lines 44 communicating therewith and extending upwardly to the mixing valves 42. Each mixing valve has a handle for adjustment of the ratio of flow of hot and cold water therethrough to control the temperature of the efiluent water which passes through the wash-water source conduits 52 that lead from the respective mixing valve outlets.

A flexible wash-water hose 54 is connected to the conduits 52, each having a spray head 56 and a thumboperated valve 58 (FIG. 2) at the extend end. If desired, the drain pipe 22 and the water pipes 36 and 38 can be recessed within the wall 16 or covered by a suitable cabinet (not shown).

At least one portable wash stand 60 is provided in the system of this invention. The wash stand has a cabinet 62 with enclosed side recess shelves 64 and 66 for storage of shampooing equipment for ready access to the operator. The cabinet 62 has a bottom wall 68 and a basin 70 in the top Wall 72. The edge of the basin 70 is flush with the top 72 and has a curved recess 74 to receive the neck of the patron during the shampooing process.

The wash stand 60 has supporting legs '74 with the lock bolts 76 extending into suitable bore holes in the inner parts of the legs 74 to adjust the height of the wash stand. A pair of wheels 80 on the axle 82 are supported by the pair of pinions 84 from the shaft 86 attached near the base of the legs 74 so that the wheels can be pivoted to an inoperative position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 or rotated downward to contact the floor 12 and serve as rollers upon which the wash basin can be rolled to desired stations about the parlor 10. The means by which the wheels 80 are made to retract or be held in operative position, not being a part of this invention, can be any of the known means to accomplish this result. During use, the wash basin should be stable and when it is desired to move same, the wheels should be easily engaged with the floor. A double set of wheels can be used so that the basin can be easily moved without the necessity of lifting it onto the wheels. Four wheels can be used with brake means to lock same from rotating as desired.

The basin 70 can be of stainless steel or ceramic and has a fixed drain pipe 90 extending from its bottom through the middle of the cabinet 62 to the elbow bend 92 from which it extends as a downwardly sloping section 94. A series of spaced circumferential annular ribs 96 are provided on the extended end of the drain pipe 90 adapted to engage and seal within the bore 32 of the flexible drain conduit 30. All that is necessary in attaching the drain conduit 30 to the drain pipe 90 is to align these parts, as shown in FIG. 4, and thrust the conduit 30 over the end of the pipe 90 so that the ribs 96 engage and are pressed into the flexible side walls of the bore 32. The section 94 is sloped toward its outlet end 98 so that complete drainage is assured.

A hook bracket 100 is provided at each station to receive the flexible drain 30 and hold same in an upright position.

The wash basin cabinet or stand 60 is provided with a bracket 102 to receive the spray head 56 at such time as the wash stand is in use.

Normally the processes involved in the treatment of a patron in a beauty parlor are (1) shampooing and rinsing, (2) setting, (3) drying and (4) styling. Where it is desired to tint the hair, the patrons hair is dried or partially dried after the shampooing and then tinted at a wash basin. In some operations the shampooing and tinting steps may be combined. In any event, it is necessary for the patron or patrons to move around in the beauty parlor to and from several stations in the beautification process. The instant invention eliminates the delay, cost and confusion in scheduling these events.

Each of the utility stations shown in FIG. 1 will have a chair means (not shown) of any of the various types used in beauty parlors for the patrons. The patron visits one station only for the entire beautifying process. With the patron in the chair, before a station, the portable wash stand 60 is moved into position adjacent the patron. The drain conduit 39 is connected to the fixed drain 90 of the wash stand 6% The chair and patron are tilted so that the nape of the neck is in the recess 74 and the patrons hair and head are over the basin. The wash water hose 54 and thumb valve 58 are used in the shampooing process. Upon completion the wash stand 60 is available for another patron at another station and is disconnected and rolled into position. Meanwhile, the portable drier is moved to the first station and the drying, setting and final drying processes continued and completed at that station without necessity for the patron to move.

Although one or more specific embodiments of this invention have been herein shown and described, it will be understood that the details of construction and operation shown can be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A beauty parlor utility system comprising:

(a) a plurality of spaced work stations,

(b) each of said work stations having a flexible drain conduit in communication with a main drain pipe common to all stations,

(c) means at said stations to detachably hold the respective flexible drain conduits in an upright position,

(d) a source of wash-water at each of said stations connected to hot and cold water supply lines common to all said stations,

(e) a flexible hose connected to each of said wash water sources and means for detachably holding said hose in upright position at the respective stations,

(f) a valved spray head at the outlet end of each of said flexible hoses,

(g) a portable floor supported Wash stand adapted to be moved to and from said stations selectively, and

(h) said wash stand having a drain outlet for attachment to the flexible drain conduit at a selected one of said stations.

2. A beauty parlor utility system in accordance with claim 1 in which:

(a) said work stations are located in longitudinal spaced relationship along the wall of a room, and

(b) said main drain pipe and the hot and cold water supply lines extend along said wall.

3. A beauty parlor utility system in accordance with claim 1 in which:

(a) a mixing valve at each station is connected to said hot and cold water supply lines, and

(b) the source of wash-water at each station leads from the mixing valve for connection to the respective flexible hose.

4. A beauty parlor utility system in accordance with claim 2 wherein means are provided on the said wall at each station for detachably holding in an upright position the respective flexible drain Zonduit and the flexible hose 3,407,411 10/1968 stev ns 4-159 XR leading from the respective wash-water source. 3,416,517 12/ 1968 Adams et a1. 4-159 XR References Cited LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner 3,322,349 5/1967 Kni'bb 4-159 XR ,s C1.

3,343,530 9/1967 Solos et a1 4-459 XR 4 167 

